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Clash of the Dragons 2
Clash of the Dragons 2 is an encounter in Against the King. Enemies * Unleashed Fiend (Against the King) (100 Gold, 100 XP, 100 Energy, 2 HP) Transcript Introduction In nightmare's grasp he'd tossed and turned, Entrapped in realms where all things burned, And butchered flesh in crimson churned; On waking their soft words he spurned: They said it was but a dream. He'd heard the cries of dying men, He'd smelled the smoke and ashes when A kingdom died, and died again; How could it be a dream? *** "%name%!" Rakshara's scream was like the shattering of a million diamonds, but it didn't even reach her own ears amidst the sudden tumult. For when the violet energy exploded, throwing up great clouds of magenta smoke and hurling the Kasan off %his% feet, every rebel cried out at once. "Crenus cheated!" "He used sorcery!" Horrific shapes appeared among the billowing pink and purple. "Demons!" Carolyn said. "The king summoned demons!" "Charge! Save the Kasan!" *** "The Kasan threw a bomb!" Kimon said. "No!" Carmath said. "It's magic!" "The king!" Ranlatta said. A golden figure stumbled from the violet fog. And a silhouette loomed behind him. "The Kasan's-" Symric said. But the abhorrent shape that emerged from the smoke wasn't %name% Kasan, or any other being that belonged on the face of Tor'gyyl. "Demons!" Ranlatta said. "We have to-" She turned, looking for the Purple Tigers. But they'd disappeared. *** "Behind you, sire!" Temurn said. "Behind you!" The cleric clasped his amulet as he ran. A black blur shot past him. Crenus whirled round, sword slashing. The half-glimpsed fiend toppled back into the fog. But another leapt out. And another. Creatures with leathery red flesh, black spikes of bone protruding from their joints, howling maws, and eyes that burned with infernal flame. The king darted backwards, cleaving left and right. One of the demons fell with its chest split open. But fiendish hands seized his aureate limbs, and ebon claws pierced his flank, puncturing his cuirass. *** The air stank of brimstone, flooded by the acrid stench of hell. It buffeted Mina's senses. But another smell pierced the fog. The rich, sweet scent of royal blood. She shot across the dirt and sprang into the fray. Her sword slashed, shearing off the top of a demon's head. His eyes fell with the severed piece of skull, blinking, while tiny black tentacles thrashed from both halves of his sundered brain. The vampiress tore another fiend away, yanking him off the king. Her fingers sunk into the creature's hide. Infernal ichor burned her skin. She cast him aside and ploughed into the rest -- cutting, clawing, kicking. Talons raked at her, parting leather and pale flesh, scarring her with bubbling lacerations. Every drop of blood shrieked inside her veins. But the Red Baroness didn't even flinch. She twisted, slashed, thrust, and killed, till demons lay around her feet in chunks. Something exploded behind her. More smoke... She kicked the last fiend away and whirled round to deal with the new threat. But this smoke was white, and the beings who emerged from it were masked. "Take him!" Mina said. "Go!" Two of the Purple Tigers took Crenus between them and ran. The king groaned, slumped between their powerful frames. But his golden fingers still clutched his sword. A cacophony rose, an immense rumble of boots and hooves and clattering steel, as the royal army charged to protect their ruler. Something heavy smashed into Mina's spine, launching her through the air. Conclusion "Begone, fiend! In the name of Karuss, begone!" The massive demon roared. Its wings unfurled, grasping at the sky while the earth shuddered under its feet, laying claim to all creation. A Purple Tiger thrashed in its grasp, held above the fiend's head like a trophy. The demon roared again and yanked. The assassin screamed, but only for an instant. Then half his body flew in each direction. "Begone!" The priest's amulet blazed. The creature stood twice his height and thrice his breadth. Its titanic muscles, its huge hands, should have crushed the cleric into the ground or torn him apart like the Tiger. Instead the fiend backed away, screeching and shielding its eyes. Mina von Richten picked herself up. The thundering, echoing din was getting louder, mingling with the sharp buzz in her ears. The vampiress' entire body still burned, tainted and tormented by the wounds of infernal claws. Her ribs ground into her innards as they knitted themselves back together. "Begone!" The demon lashed out with a clumsy, unaimed hand, while the other clasped its face. Temurn spun around, one arm hanging nerveless. His amulet's beam of light spun with him, describing a semicircle that left its crescent imprint on Mina's eyes. She grabbed her sword and ran. "Be... Begone..." The cleric turned, brandishing the dove emblem at the end of his good arm. The demon bellowed. Its fist and forearm rose like a battering ram. "By the Lord of Light, begone!" Mina jumped, straight at the monster's hideous face and champing maw. Its hands moved to intercept her. To grab and rend and slaughter. But her sword was faster. The blade hit its eye with a wet thunk that jarred her arm, and slid into its brain. The Red Baroness backflipped, kicking off from the toppling demon and throwing herself into a graceful arc. She landed beside Temurn. Pale fingers took his uninjured arm. "Get back," she said. The last of the purple fog was dissipating, parting into slender tendrils. Beyond it the rebel army hurtled towards them. Category:Against the King